More than a year after the mid-day meal pulses scam broke out in Orissa, the CAG has said the state lost anything between Rs 45 crore and Rs 65 crore by buying pulses at a fixed price of Rs 75 a kg from private suppliers while it was available at a lower price.

The state vigilance department is probing irregularities in the supply of pulses. Some 1.06 crore children are entitled to 20-30 grams of arhar dal per meal for 210 days a year but collectors of 23 of the 30 districts bought it at Rs 75 a kg from a private supplier.

Though the government had fixed Rs 75 a kg as ceiling price of “best quality” arhar dal, it didn’t explain the “best quality”. CAG found that collectors of 12 districts procured arhar dal at Rs 75 a kg while 11 procured it at a marginally lower price.